Paul Skenes' competition for the National League Cy Young Award is formidable.
The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is one of three finalists with Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Voted on by a panel of members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the winner will be announced next Wednesday.
So, how did Skenes match up with Sanchez and Yamamoto this past season?
When the win-loss record was king among Cy Young voters about 15 years ago, Skenes would have had no chance to win with his 10-10 mark. No pitcher has ever won the award without a winning record. Sanchez had a 13-5 record, and Yamamoto finished 12-8.
Skenes had far and away the best ERA with an NL-leading 1.97 mark. Yamamoto's ERA was 2.49, and Sanchez was right behind him at 2.50. It's instructive to note that balloting ended the day after the regular season ended, so Yamamoto's spectacular postseason did not factor in the voting.
As far as strikeouts per nine innings, Skenes and Yamamoto each had 10.4. Sanchez's final mark was 9.4. Meanwhile, Skenes led the NL in WHIP, 0.948, while Yamamoto had a 0.990, and Sanchez finished at 1.064.
Skenes also shone in most of the advanced metrics, including an NL-best 2.37 FIP (fielding independent pitching). Sanchez's FIP was 2.55, and Yamamoto finished at 2.94.
Yet for those who believe that WAR is the ultimate baseball statistic, it's a mixed bag as to whether Skenes was the best pitcher in the NL. Baseball-Reference's version had Sanchez (8.0) as the top pitcher by a slim margin over Skenes (7.7) while Yamamoto finished at 4.9.
FanGraphs's version of WAR had Skenes with 6.5 (fWAR) as the best pitcher in the league, just a shade over Sanchez (6.4). Yamamoto had a 5.0 mark.
Durability, like won-loss record, does not carry as much clout as it once did. Pitchers who log 200 innings are becoming rarer with each passing season. Sanchez reached that mark with 202 innings pitched, while Skenes logged 187 2/3 innings and Yamamoto worked 173 2/3.
The oddsmakers have Skenes as the overwhelming Cy Young favorite. However, you can at least make a case for Sanchez.
In the end, Skenes will win, even with a losing record. However, the prediction of a unanimous victory is precarious with Sanchez's presence.